Gutter brightening: bring back the original color

What the black streaks on your gutters are

The stripes are sometimes called “tiger stripes,” and they're a mix of two things. Dirt and pollution wash over the edge of the gutter when it rains, and algae and mildew grow in that film. Over time the combination bonds to the painted finish and forms dark streaks that follow the path of the water.

Because it's bonded to the surface, a normal rinse or a house wash alone often leaves the stripes behind. It takes a dedicated cleaning solution and some hand detail work.

If the roof above has black streaks of its own, the same growth is often feeding both.

Gutter brightening vs gutter cleaning

These are two different services:

• Gutter brightening cleans the outside of the gutters: the faces, bottoms and downspouts you see from the street.
• Gutter cleaning clears leaves and debris from inside the gutters so water can drain.

Gutter brightening is a soft wash service and it's what we do. If your gutters are also clogged, have them cleared first so they drain properly.

Our gutter brightening process

1. Look and quote. We check the gutter color, the finish and how heavy the streaking is.
2. Protect below. Plants and surfaces under the gutters are wetted down first.
3. Apply and detail. A cleaning solution made for gutter finishes is applied, and the streaks are worked loose by hand where needed.
4. Rinse. Gutters, walls and plants below are rinsed at low pressure.

Pair it with a house wash

Gutters are part of the view from the street, so bright gutters on dirty siding (or clean siding under striped gutters) still look unfinished. Many homeowners book gutter brightening together with a house wash, and it takes less time and costs less when both are done in one visit.